Device for converting rotary motion to reciprocating motion



ORR ONVERTING ROTARY MOTION Oct. 26, 1954 D. J.

DEVICE FOR c TO RECIPROCATING MOTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 4, 1948 Oct. Z6, 1954 2,692,508

D. J. ORR DEVICE FOR CONVERTING ROTARY MOTION TO RECIPROCATING MOTION Filred Dec. 4, 1948 2 Sheeys-Sheet 2 12M z )02 if? Patented Oct. 26, 1954 DEVICE FOR CONVERTING ROTARY MOTION TO RECIPRO CATIN G MOTION Donald J. Orr, Arnolds Park, Iowa, assignor, by `mesne assignments, of one-half to Karl W. George Application December 4, 1948, Serial No. 63,599

1 Claim.

l This invention relates to power mowers of the .type manipulable by manpower, and especially .adapted for mowing lawns.

The mower is of that general type having a cutengine. The power unit 24 is supportedfon the axle I4 by any convenient structural framezmember which includes la depending lelement 2B having a shaft 28 fmounted therein. On the outer ter bar and sickle assembly, in which the sickle end of the shaft 28 is a pulley 3e which I.may :be a bar reciprocates in the cutter bar, and having an V pulley vif desired. The power .unit I241is proengine for operating the sickle bar. vided with a driving shaft 32 having'a `il pulley An object of the invention is the provision of 34. A belt 36 is vtrained over the lpulleys 34 :and a novel operating means for interconnecting `the 3u for driving the latter. .A shield 133 `is secured engine and sickle for operating or reciprocating l0 over the pulley 34 and extends down intoproxthe sickle bar. imity to the lower pulley 30 but does notcover Another object is the provision of a mower the latter. The power unit may be employedifor of the character referred to, in which the engine driving the wheels I2, within the concept Aofithe has a-rotating cam, and the operating means enpresent invention, so that the mower is fully `gages thecam, and the operating means has an 15 powered.

axial component forming its main dimension, in Mounted on the lower end of the Trame iI6 which is Vprovided a novel means for accomis a cutter bar and sickle assembly indicated in modating the constantly changing angular relatS entletyat'o, the Cutter bal" being'CleSgntnlF-*1 tionship between the operating means and the at 42 'and the sickle at 44. A vbriefgeneralidecam. scription of the cutter bar 42 and sickle 44`is given Wit-,h these and other Objects in View, my in.. hereinafter for fully describing the machine vention consists in the arrangement vand com- Wheh nludes the present invention. bination of the various parts of my device where- The Cutter bar 42 iS Preferably formed as "a Aby the objects contemplated are attained, as Stamping, and includes an elongated plate-like hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in 'flat menlbel1 45 hflVng e plurality Offteeth 54 eX- my `claims and illustrated in the accompanying tending Outwardly frOm OneiSde edge 0f the'llate. drawings, wherein: The teeth 54 are all identical, beingspacedflong- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the mower tudnally along the Plate 45. An eXtenSiOn 4 .of the present invention extends from the outer point of each tooth back 'Figure 2 is an emerged front e1evetione1 view. 30 toward the plate 46, beine spaced upwardly lfrom Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 the Surface 0f the tOOth DIODeI- .of Figure 2. The sickle 44 is shown in plan in Figure v4.

Figure 4 is a, top View of the mower proper The sickle includes an elongated plate-like memand the arm for actuating the Sick1eber 66 slightly shorter than the plate 46 "of'ithe Figure 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of Figure l. 3U cutter han The plate 55 has a plurality YOf eX- Figure 6 is a view of the left portion of Figure tensions 53 Which form Cutting teeth on the 4in an alternate position. sickle. For convenience in terminology'the ex- Fgure 7 is an enlarged View taken on une ltension 68 will be referred to as sections, Vto in- 5 5 of Figure 4, dicate the correlation with previously :known Referring in detail to the drawings, the power types of sckles. The whole sickle 44 is vformed operated mower of the present invention is shown as a Stamping as mentioned SJGOVe and therefore in'its entirety in Figures 1 and 2, The mower in.. the sections B8 are formed integral with plate EB. cludes a pair of spaced wheels I2 supported by Each section .68 .includes lateral edges ,1.0 .which an axle I4. A frame is indicated at I6 and inserve yas Cutting edges. In the `llpllel' Surface cludes a lower curved portion pivoted intermedi- 45 shown in Figure 4 each cutting edge v'Itis-tapered ate its ends on the axle I4. In the operating poor beveled downwardly to form a cutting edge sition of the mower the lower portion of the frame which approximates a knife edge. element I8 extends forwardly and slightly down- The plate portion 66 0f the Sickle S provided wardly, and the upward portion bends upwardwith a plurality of elongated slots `14spaced :at ly where a shank 20 extends upwardly. At the intervals longitudinally in the sickle. The sickle upper end of the shank 20 is a handle 22 by which is mounted on'the cutter bar in the usual manthe loperator manipulates the machine. ner, that is, the plate portions are disposedone Supported on the axle is a power unit 24 which over the other and the sections lll extend out may be any preferred type, such as a gasoline in the same direction as the teeth 54 with'the sections slidable between the teeth proper and the extensions 64.

The means for mounting the sickle in the cutter bar is shown best in Figure 3. A roller or sleeve 'I6 surrounds a bolt '|8, which is inserted into the slot 14 and through a hole in the cutter bar; the bolt is threaded in a hole in a mounting plate 80 positioned on the under surface of the cutter bar. A lock nut 82 is threaded on the lower end of the bolt. A Washer 84 surrounds the upper end of the sleeve 16 substantially lling the space between the sickle and the head of the bolt as dened by the height of the sleeve. The binding force of the nut 82 is exerted through the sleeve 16, and the sickle is permitted to slide freely between the cutter bar and the head of the bolt.

On each end of the cutter bar is a rearwardly extending bracket 86, the rear ends of the bracket being provided with vertical slots 88 (Figure '7). Rollers 90 are secured to the brackets 86, the rollers having pins or shafts 02 inserted into slots 88 and mounted therein by lock nuts 94.

The cutter bar and sickle assembly 40 is mounted directly on the frame of the machine by means of a spring steel element 06. The element 06 is a flexible steel element which is secured to the under surface of the frame by means of directly connecting it to the mounting bar 80, and curves rearwardly and upwardly therefrom. The rear end of the spring element 96 is secured by means of a rivet 98 to the forward and lower end of the frame element 8.

Rigidly secured to the cutter bar is a lever arm |00. The lever extends rearwardly from the cutter bar and sickle and for the purposes of convenience its rear end is provided with an up-standing portion |02. Secured in the upper end of the portion |02 is a wire |04 which is slidable in a small diameter tube |06, which is mounted on the frame and extends up to a position adjacent the handle 20. The upper end of the wire |04 is secured to a lever |08 pivoted at I I0 on the frame. Cooperating with the lever |00 is a quadrant H2 having latch means by which the lever |08 can be secured in angularly adjusted position. On swinging the lever |08 the wire |04 is drawn or forced through the tube |06 and thereby actuates the lever |00 which in turn swings the cutter bar and sickle assembly which is accommodated by the fact that the spring steel member 96 is flexible.

The original height of the cutter bar and sickle is adjusted by the bolts 92 in the slots 88. For

each position of the rollers 90, the cutter bar and sickle can be angularly adjusted up and down about the axis of the rollers 90.

Mounted on the upper surface of the sickle 44 is a socket or shoe ||4 having an open face extending rearwardly from the sickle. An actuating arm ||6 is mounted on the frame by means of a pin ||8 supported in the portion |8 of the frame and defining a vertical axis for swinging of the arm ||6. The axis ||8 is disposed intermediate the ends of the arm. The arm ||6 extends rearwardly and upwardly from the sickle and at the upper end of the arm is a socket element |20. The socket element |20 includes a pair of spaced side walls |22 which are parallel and lie in planes parallel with the longitudinal axis of the arm indicated by the dot-dash line |23. The side walls 22 dene a socket |24 which is elongated in a vertical direction parallel with the pivotal axis I |8 of the arm. The upper and lower walls |26 of the socket |24 diverge rear- 4 wardly slightly. The socket |20 is provided with ears |28 by which it is secured to the arm IIB.

A roller |30 is mounted on a pin |32 which in turn is mounted on the pulley 30. The roller |30 is cylindrical, that is, its side walls are parallel with its own axis and the roller is received in the socket |24. The roller |30 is freely rotatable on the pin |32 and the axis of the roller is disposed at an angle with respect to the axis of the pulley 30, in such a manner that in all positions of rotation of the pulley, the axis of the roller intersects the axis of the pulley in the axis of the pin ||8. The taper of the walls |26 accommodates the angularity of the roller |30. The side walls |22 of the socket accommodate the roller in all positions of the latter to the end that whatever position of rotation the pulley 30 is in, the arm ||6 is in alignment with the axis of the roller |30. The side walls |22 are aligned with surfaces of the roller also. Figure 6 illustrates the roller |30 at one side, and in this position it will be noted that the axis of the roller coincides with the longitudinal axis |23 of the arm ||6.

I have thus provided an entirely new and distinctive type of connection between the power unit and the sickle, whereby constantly changing angular positions of the interconnected parts are accommodated. The socket or shoe ||4 and the lower end of the arm ||6 are such that they remain in engagement with one another in any angular position of adjustment of the cutter bar caused by the lever |00.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood of course that I do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by the claims appended hereto to cover any such modifications or substitutions of equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

A drive device including a motor having a rotating drive shaft, a member spaced from said drive shaft and arranged for movement along a fixed straight path, and means for translating the rotary movement of said drive shaft into reciprocation of said member along said fixed path, said means comprising a rotatable disc spaced from said member, means connecting said disc with said drive shaft for eifecting rotation of said disc, an elongated eccentric having a portion thereof rigidly connected to said disc, said eccentric extending transversely from said disc in the general direction towards said member, a single rigid arm extending between said disc and said member, said arm being pivoted at a point intermediate its ends about an axis parallel with said disc, said eccentric being inclined with respect to said disc so that extensions of the longitudinal axis of said eccentric and of the axis of said disc intersect at said pivot axis of the arm, an elongated cylindrical roller rotatably and concentrically mounted on said eccentric and mounted to have its longitudinal axis at all times coincident with the longitudinal axis of said eccentric, an elongated socket on one end of said arm receiving said roller therein and having its longitudinal axis parallel with the pivotal axis of the arm, said cylindrical roller engaging the walls of the socket to provide a line contact therebetween, said line contact between the roller and the walls of said socket being at all times parallel with the longitudinal axis of said eccentric, means connecting the other end of said arm with said member operative to reciprocate said member as said arm is caused to swing when the disc is rotated and said arm is caused to oscillate under the influence of said eccentric received in said socket, said means for connecting said other end of the arm with said reciprocable member including an open ended socket carried by said member and elongated in a direction parallel With the pivot axis of said arm and receiving said end of the arm, said elongated socket affording relative displacement therein of said end of the arm in a direction parallel with the pivot axis of the arm, and means for adjusting the relative position of engagement of the last said end of the arm along the length of said elongated socket.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 491,910 Virtue Feb. 14, 1893 548,189 Gillette Oct. 22, 1895 604,353 Kneisly May 17, 1898 Number Number 20 47,428

6 Name Date Seip Oct. 2, 1906 Martin Feb. 25, 1908 Squair May 18, 1909 Noonan May 6, 1919 Ducket Dec. 14, 1926 Peebles Jan. 11, 1927 Eisele Nov. 20, 1928 Barber Aug. 27, 1929 Turner Oct. 27, 1931 Gravely Sept. 6, 1932 Rieger Oct. 29, 1940 Underwood June 30, 1942 Hayes Oct. 2, 1944 Kelsey Apr. 5, 1949 Oetken July 5, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Jan. 28, 1937 (2nd Addition to No. 754,490) France Apr. 19, 1937 

